


Traditions

by scribblepen



Category: Night at the Museum (Movies)
Genre: I would post this on christmas, I'd probably forget though, M/M, fluff basically, holiday stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-25
Updated: 2015-11-25
Packaged: 2018-05-03 09:29:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5285540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scribblepen/pseuds/scribblepen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"After all, holidays aren't holidays without traditions, Jedediah thought as their lips brushed, then pressed, softly, then all at once. Maybe this could be a holiday tradition? No, they had enough, what with the eggnog, the trees, the gingerbread men, the gingerbread men, they were the worst. So stiff, and they would probably chip someone's tooth. But Jedediah liked this. What he didn't like was how people just went all willy-nilly, hanging mistletoe wherever they pleased. Like bombs, for goodness sakes."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Traditions

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Nicole and miniature-cowboy for beta-ing this!

Ugh.

Jedediah shifted his weight to the right side of his body, in an attempt to pull himself out of the leaves.

It didn’t work, and instead he ended up tumbling further in, and bumping into Octavius.

How did this happen?

—

“Happy Holidays, Jedediah.” Octavius said, approaching his friend with a crumb.

Jedediah tipped his hat in greeting. “And happy… Uh, what do ya celebrate anyway?”

“Well, when I was alive, I didn’t celebrate anything, but now I celebrate Christmas,” Octavius explained. “Nicky told me that he and Larry celebrate Hanukkah.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” Jedediah said. “I celebrate Christmas too, pardner.”

“Well in that case,” Octavius walked forward and placed the crumb in his friend’s hands. “Happy Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, you mean.”

“In the UK, they say Happy Christmas.” Octavius said.

“Yeah, well, in America, they say Merry Christmas.” Jedediah sniffed the crumb and then looked up. “What’s this from?”

“A loaf of gingerbread.” Octavius smiled, patting the crumb. “I know you hate the gingerbread men.”

“Thanks, Octy!” Jedediah beamed. “Those gingerbread men are too stiff and hard. It’s almos’ impossible t'ah bite!”

“I like both.” Octavius said, as the two began to explore the museum.

They spent some time celebrating Christmas Eve and making their rounds through the museum to learn about other cultures’ celebrations.

In the middle of it all, Larry had made the exhibits hot chocolate, and he poured some in individual bottle caps for the miniatures. Jedediah wasn’t sure how to drink out of the bottle cap he and Octavius were given, but he quickly came up with an idea.

“Octavius, I think we should drink like cats!” He cried out.

“Um. No. We’re sharing the same bottle cap, Jedediah.” Octavius said, laughing.

“W-well then how else are we supposed to do it?” Octavius pointed to two women from his diorama sipping from the same bottle cap, taking turns.

“Maybe your Romans are all fancy when it comes to drinkin’, but us westerners are-” Before he could finish, Octavius pointed at a woman and a man from Jedediah’s exhibit drinking the same way as the Romans.

Jedediah caved in. “Fine.”

By the time they got to drinking it, it had already gone lukewarm, which Octavius didn’t like.

When it was around 10:30, a song started up, but it wasn’t a Christmas song.

Jedediah saw a few exhibits doing karaoke and laughed when he saw Columbus trying to read the English lyrics.

“Hey Octavius, you should try.” Jedediah nudged his friend towards the karaoke.

“No. I’d like to keep my dignity.”

“Aw, c'mon, ’m sure you’ll do great!” Jedediah encouraged.

“…fine. Only if you do a duet with me.” Octavius said.

“A duet? Ain’t that for couples an’ stuff?” Jedediah asked.

“Yeah. So?” Octavius smirked. “It doesn’t always have to be.”

“Um… O-okay.”

The two of them managed to get Ahkmenrah’s attention.

“You guys want to sing?” Ahkmenrah asked, raising a brow.

“Er, yeah.” Jedediah replied. “Um, what songs are there…?”

“There are lots.”

“Do ya have any… Suggestions?” Jedediah asked, fiddling with the ends of his shirt.

“Mmm, yes.” Ahkmenrah hummed. “But they aren’t really for duets.”

“What are they?” Octavius asked. “I’m sure they’ll work.”

“Well, Octavius, I think you’d like the song Pompeii.”

“...Iiepwop.” Octavius corrected, seeming serious for a moment before grinning over at Jedediah.

“Uh… Yeah sure.” Ahkmenrah cleared his throat. “And I think Jedediah would like the song Shut up and Dance.”

Jedediah vaguely remembered a song containing those words.

“I think both of you would… Be able to relate to a song called Animals by Neon Trees.” Ahkmenrah shrugged. “But that’s just me.”

“Er- y'know what?” Jedediah sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “I- I don’t feel like a duet.”

“Yeah, me either.” Octavius decided.

“Thanks anyway!” Jedediah called, walking away from him with Octavius.

When he turned around, he saw

Ahkmenrah explaining his favourite celebration, Wepet Renpet.

“So, where to next?” Octavius asked.

“Are ya kiddin’?”

“…No?” Octavius worried that he had upset Jedediah.

To his relief, Jedediah let out a lighthearted chukle. “We’ve been walkin’ for like, 4 hours, Kemosabe!”

“So… You want to…Rest?” Octavius ventured.

“Er, sure.” Jedediah replied. “If that’s okay with you.”

“Oh, its more than okay, Jedediah.”

The two of them sat next to a few balloons and the EXIT door.

“So, which was your favourite holiday?” Octavius asked. “I liked the one about Hanukkah.”

“Oh, I reckon I preferred the Chinese New Year one.” Jedediah shrugged. “Y'know, Gung hay fat choy an’ stuff. I reckon it’s ‘cause a few men in my diorama celebrate it.”

It’s was silent for a few moments, the two of them munching some gingerbread they had found earlier.

“Jedediah, I’m glad to have the opportunity to celebrate the holidays with you.” Octavius finally said.

“Me too, pardner!” Jedediah smiled.

“Before the new year comes, I have a confession to make.” Octavius said.

“An’ what would that be?” Jedediah asked.

“I- I…” Octavius’ cut himself off, and mentally cursed at himself. He had made this decision long ago, and he couldn’t even bring himself to carry it out. He was a coward. “I really like your eyes.”

A complete coward.

“Oh- uh. Thanks. I- I guess. That’s a compliment, right?” Before Octavius could reply with the obvious, Jedediah answered his own question. “What am I saying, of course it is, heh.”

“They are really nice and blue.” Octavius said, sitting back down. He hadn’t realized that he had been leaning forward a bit. “Sometimes they are steel blue, other times they are cerulean…. And- and sometimes… They are just- just really…breathtaking.”

“I didn’t- I didn’t know you payed attention…” Jedediah said, face heating up just a little bit.

“I do, heh.” Octavius said, smiling. “I notice how your lips always naturally form an O, even when your mouth is closed. I notice how even though the sun in your diorama is fake, its rays still manage to catch your hair.”

“Oh um. That’s- that’s nice.” Jedediah said, abruptly aware about how Octavius was leaning forward again, and slowly inching closer.

Instinctively, Jedediah scrambled to his feet, though his hands were still on the linoleum floor.

“I also really like your smile, and how it’s always more on the left than the right.”

Jedediah scrambled backwards, and he seemed to be doing something like the crab walk.

His efforts were in vain, since every inch he backed up, Octavius moved two closer.

“I- that’s um… Good?” Jedediah was at loss for words, since he was more focused on his best friend, a Roman general, being just inches away from his face. He could easily just close the gap, but of course Jedediah would never.

“Your hands are also really soft, which was unexpected since you’re always tugging ropes and setting off dynamite in your sandy diorama.” Octavius got even closer, causing Jedediah to move even further, backing up against the wall and slowly standing up.

“Heh, well I uh, I wear gloves…”

“You should remove them more often, I think I’ve only seen your hands twice.” Octavius said. “Your hands are too lovely to be hidden away like that.”

Jedediah and Octavius were now both fully standing up, and Jedediah was getting on his tippy-toes.

“They wouldn’t be as soft then… Or um. What was the- uh, the word you used?”

“Lovely.”

“Er, right.”

They were just centimeters apart, and Jedediah couldn’t even lift his chin up anymore.

“So- uh, t-tell me about your holi- holiday traditions.” Jedediah stuttered, trying to distract him.

“Well,” Octavius started. “My favourite one is the mistletoe one.”

“An- an’ what’s that about…?” Jedediah knew about the mistletoe one, but his brain wasn’t working right.

“When two people are under the mistletoe,” Octavius said. “They have to kiss.”

“They- they what?” Jedediah’s face colored at the mention of kissing.

“They kiss.” Octavius whispered because he was just that close. “Look up.”

Jedediah did as he was told and saw a green leafed plant with cherry-red berries on it tied by a red ribbon.

A sprig of mistletoe, in other words.

Jedediah’s breath hitched in his throat, and found himself unable to say anything. He couldn’t even move, his body was stiff, just like a gingerbread man.

When Octavius finally bridged the gap, Jedediah could do nothing but helplessly reciprocate.

Jedediah prayed to God that none of his men saw him likes this, helpless and weak and kissing a guy.

The worst part was that Jedediah was actually enjoying it, tremendously.

“Me too,” Octavius said in response, as if he could read Jedediah’s thoughts.

And then, whoomph, a flurry of green, red and silver clattered on the floor, and it took Jedediah a few moments to realize that the mistletoe had fallen.

And now Jed wished that his men were there, to help him out.

But of course, they weren’t.

And that’s how they ended up under the mistletoe.

Literally under.

—

“Where’s Jed and Octavius?” Larry was asking around the museum, it was almost sunrise.

He was just about to give up when he saw a red cape under a fallen sprig of mistletoe.

“Ah crap.”

He walked over, and picked the mistletoe up.

“Gigantor!” Jedediah called. “Where’s my hat?”

A few nanoseconds later, Octavius was up as well, and he had a black lopsided ten gallon hat on his head.

Larry gingerly picked it up and placed it on Jedediah’s head.

“What happened?”

Larry felt amusement rush through him as he saw Jedediah’s face turn red.

“I- we- we were jus’ talkin’ and woosh! This darn thing fell on us!” Jedediah stuttered.

“Just talking?” Larry raised a brow.

Octavius answered for Jedediah.

“Larry, perhaps you should take us back to our respective dioramas.” He said, calmly. “I’m sure Jedediah and I are eager to rest after what just happened.”

Jedediah subconsciously slightly pulled his hat low enough to cover his eyes, but not his ever-spreading blush.

“Ye-yeah.”

Larry had his suspicions but let them climb onto his hands and carried them back to their dioramas.

—

Just before the museum opened, Larry went back to check all the exhibits were in their proper place.

When he reached the dioramas, he smiled at how Jedediah’s face was slightly redder than usual and- and wait.

**  
**Was Octavius winking?


End file.
